Abstract

Beauty is an abstract construct. We all have our own ideas about what is and is not beautiful — a particular song or painting, a man or woman. Accurately describing what exactly “it” is that makes the song, painting or person beautiful, however, is a daunting task. In this article, we attempt to make the case that beauty and physical attractiveness is a serious matter but is not the basis for aesthetic judgment among the Binis most especially as it relates to human beings. This study attempts to provide a theoretical framework for the appreciation of beauty among the Binis, a strategic ethnic group in Nigeria. It investigates how concepts such as beautiful and beauty, character, and normative actions find their relevant expression and place in the sociocultural, economic, moral and even psychological settings of the Bini world. Finally, it is discovered that a conceptual and analytical approach is crucial, not only to the situation of the Benin aesthetical values within a Western ideological context, but also in the facilitation of an objective evaluation of critical aspects of the life of a people.

Keywords

BeautyBeautifulNormativeBenin

Published in: Nsibidi:AE-FUNAI Journal of Humanities ( Volume: 2 , Issue: 1 , October 2023)

Page(s): 126 - 138

Date of Publication: October 2023

ISSN Information: 1596-5428